Contrasting Parallels
by kiwirinki
Summary: Two souls, bound by the red string of fate. Heading towards grandeur and distorted ambitions. (Considering sasunaru)


Here is my new story Contrasting Parallels. Comments are welcomed, but if you do, please offer criticism and advice. Any negative comments without sound reasons and evidence to back up your claim will be deleted.

I hope oped you enjoy this.

chapter 1: A Twist

People say ignorance is bliss. That the fool got to live happily ever after while everyone else had to deal with life. But what was so great about that? How could living with only half truths be bliss?

To him, ignorance was a curse in disguise. Yet, for the better part of his life, he was one of those. The ones who believed everyone was good, that the people who constantly bullied, belittled, abased him were just having a bad day.

How was that a blessing?

When he finally came to the realization that all his previous thoughts and morals were wrong, he could see the world for the first time. Before, he coward and relied on others to protect him. He was the victim, therefore, it was others' jobs to make sure he survived. But then, no one came to save him. They forgot about him. Tossed him to the curb like a pile of trash. That's when he awakened.

They never treated him as a human being, so why should they now?

The world is cruel. The weak strive to a fruitless end while the strong stand tall, towering over the ones below with taunts and jeers.

Naruto had finally learned the way the universe worked.

To get what you want, you have to reach out with your own hands and take it. Never let it go. Because the second you do, it will turn around and stab you in the back.

…

They found him after two weeks. He came stumbling out onto the main roads leading towards Konoha, where he was born, hated, and forgotten. A body drenched in crimson, from head to toe. Desperation clung to him, a musky cologne that stank with sweat and fear. But most prominent was the scent of blood. His clothes, if you could even call them that, were shreds of his memories of a less painful time, clinging to bruised skin and protruding bones. Tears ran their course leaving behind snakes of grime and dirt, marring his innocent face. Cheeks that should have been rounded with baby fat were alarmingly taught, hollowed dimples robbed of child's purity and naivety. As his chromatic, blue eyes met those of the nauseated ANBU, they froze in aghast disposition. A child of five years old, six at most, already had the haunted eyes of an experient veteran.

No questions were immediately asked. Instead held off until the boy's health was secured. A jutsu was used to knock the boy unconscious, saving him from the pain of recovery and memories of the past trauma.

Theories and gossip bruited throughout the ANBU base yet no one seemed to have concrete answers.

Ibiki Morino, top interrogator of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force was called in. A towering man at a whopping six foot and three inches with a head full of scars hidden under a cap. Though his intimidating stature could make the best sweat under pressure, that was not the reason why people squinched at the sight of him. He was known for his methods in extracting potential information. By using baleful jutsus and minatory, adroit mindgames Ibiki was able to inflict mass amount of pain on his victims. All without leaving a physical mark. But that was not the reason why he was here today.

On top of being a spine-chilling, yet extraordinary never the less, inquisitor, Ibiki was also fluent in the art of body language. With just a glance of his obsidian orbs he could read someone like a book. Thus, he was the perfect man to aid in the recovery of the traumatized young boy.

The Hokage sat in a chair alongside the boy's bed as his brows crinkled in concern. He brushed the boy's maroon hair and lightly stroked his forehead, careful to avoid the healing wounds. He looked so much like his mother; crimson hair, a strong nose that ended in a slight upturn, a sharp chin, and thin lips. His eyes though, the beautiful prussian blue that were virtually transparent, were carbon copies of his father's. Also, his jawline, though undefined because of his young age, would strengthen and fill out, shaping his face to look like Minato's.

Naruto was finally awake after three days of being asleep. Yet heavy bags hung under his vapid eyes. The crusted blood was washed off, along with his soiled clothing. Instead, he wore the flimsy hospital gown.

When the ANBU carried his debilitated body to the hospital, the doctors and nurses were stunned silent by the sheer number of wounds he sustained. Three cracked vertebrae, broken wrists, dislocated shoulders, one fractured ankle and the other, sprained; all of this combined with ragged tendons and shredded muscles. But that wasn't the worse. They would eventually heal. Whereas the brand on his shoulder, strengthened by a mysterious jutsu that would not allow _its_ chakra to heal, would forever scar both his body and mind, a token from his sadistic assailants.

"Naruto-kun," Ibiki noticed how the boy seemed to flinch at the name, though the Hokage was oblivious. "This is Ibiki-san. He's here to talk to you. Can you say hi?"

Naruto looked at the man in question yet no child-like wonder nor innocence twinkled in his eyes. He didn't say anything.

"Hello Naruto-san," Ibiki carefully watched as Naruto's shoulders seemed to relax with the respectful suffix. "My name is Ibiki. It's nice to meet you.

"Can you tell Hokage-sama and I what happened?"

Naruto tensed as his whole body closed in on itself. Fear and dread slipped into his cerulean, blue orbs as he quickly looked down at his hands, picking at the dead skin around his fingernails. It seemed the direct approach would not work.

Ibiki took the chair the Hokage offered and slowly sank in the seat, careful not the scare the child. There was silence as Naruto regarded the newcomer with wary propensity, though he didn't outright flinch in horror, much to Ibiki's relief. There was hope for the boy.

"Bird-san," Ibiki turned to address the ANBU standing in the corner who's face was adorned with a mask of a sharp beak, "can you go get our young friend a cup of hot chocolate?"

The ANBU quickly bowed to the Hokage and left the room with silent steps.

Naruto looked at Ibiki curiously, finally responding, "Are you a good guy?" His head tilted to the side slightly.

Ibiki smiled, careful to not expose his teeth. "Yes. Hokage-sama and I are here to help you."

Naruto pondered the info. The Hokage's and Ibiki's heart broke at the next words that came from the little boy's mouth. "Why didn't you come when I asked for help before?" Big, baby blue eyes stared at the two men.

Ibiki withheld a wince. He dropped from his chair and kneeled next to the wounded boy, mournful obsidian orbs eye-level with his chromatic blue. "Naruto-san, we failed you. We weren't there when you needed us the most and you suffered because of our mistakes. I can't change the past but I can apologize on behalf of the Konoha shinobi. And I promise that the Hokage and myself will protect you from now on with the best of our abilities."

Cobalt ice observed the older man. Finally, as if a screen was drawn, a small smile tugged at the boy's lips, though it didn't warm his eyes. "Thank you Ibiki-san."

The tall man patted the boy's head affectionately and resumed his seat, sorrow burying its way into his heart at the loss of Naruto's childhood.

Bird-san came back and gave the warm cup of cocoa to small, silent boy.

...

Ibiki finished questioning the boy. The little bit he was able to wrangle out of him and the inferences he analyzed were chilling. The answers he sought were not pleasant. They never were.

Naruto's chromatic, blue eyes followed Ibiki's form as he exited the room. The Hokage gave a reassuring smile to the boy as he followed suit, leaving behind the distinct smell of tobacco and smoke. As the pair emerged in the hallway, they moved away from the ANBU guarding the door and settled on a bench.

"How is he?" The Hokage's voice was morose. His eyes lowered half mass, preparing for the bad news.

Ibiki inhaled and looked his superior in the eyes. "He's not looking too good. There's obvious trauma. Whether it's permanent or not is to be seen. What I can say though is that Naruto will never be the boy you remember."

As the Hokage exhaled, he seemed to deflate, his body sinking into itself.

"Sir, what do you plan to do now?" Ibiki asked his superior.

The Hokage chewed on his pipe in thought as the heady scent calmed his nerves. The boy obviously could not be left alone. His mental state at the moment was fragile at best. Anything more could stress his mind beyond repair and result in him becoming more of an introvert than he already was. Plus, who knew what would happen to the boy in the future. As they say, mental wounds run deeper than physical. The last thing the Hokage needed was for the boy's tenant to have sway over its host.

"For now, we'll need someone to watch him constantly. Someone who will be indifferent to his...prisoner, and skilled enough to protect him against himself and any attempts on his life.

"I think hiring a ninja as his caretaker would be the best. Any recommendations, Ibiki?"

The two shinobi sat in silence as they fished for a solution. The Hokage thought about all of the ninjas currently under his rule. He needed someone who was good with little children, but also knew how to handle delicate situations with a certain finesse, something that one had from birth and could not be learned. Someone who could analyze the scene without any biased opinions. Someone who could relate to a child like Naruto.

Finally, a metaphorical lightbulb lot above the Hokage's head as a slow smirk made its way to his weathered lips.

Yes, him. It just might work.

...

"Aniki," the little boy whined, "but you promised!"

Itachi patted his brother's head and let a rare smile tilt the corner of his lips. His brother was always amusing.

Whenever he was around their parents, Sasuke was the picture of an obedient Uchiha, never begging nor whining to his parents. But the second his brother didn't cave in to his wants, the boy acted like any other child his age, constantly bugging and annoying his older sibling.

Currently the younger Uchiha was in the hospital getting his wounds checked after a strenuous and disastrous training session. After Itachi had to cancel their training time in favor of a mission, Sasuke decided he didn't need his brother's help and ventured off into the forest himself, taking along with him a pouch full of kunai and shuriken. Imagine what happened when the young Uchiha accidentally stumbled upon an old training ground for the ANBU, hidden mines long forgotten under dead brush and foliage. It was scheduled for demolition and reconstruction the coming weekend, though some idiot of a Chunin forgot to tape off the area.

Thankfully one Hatake Kakashi was strolling through the forest reading his favorite smut when he saw the young boy accidentally trigger the mines with a kunai. He had managed to save the boy's life, but both had sustain injuries. None of them fatal.

It was sight to see that day in Konoha as a frantic Uchiha Itachi ran on the rooftops, halfway changed after finishing his mission. A few fangirls had to be checked in to the hospital after they were found lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood, curtesy of a major nosebleed.

"We can't train right now Otouto. You're injured and need time to heal."

The Hokage entered behind the new ANBU member, his hands folded neatly behind his back. Sasuke's eyes widened as they took in the old, powerful man, surprised that the strongest ninja in the village came to visit him.

"How may I help you Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked without turning around.

The Hokage hid a smirk. The boy truly earned the title as youngest ANBU member ever.

"How is little Sasuke-kun doing?"

Sasuke pouted at being called little.

"Hokage-sama, I'll be six in a couple months. So I'm not little." Sasuke reasoned.

Itachi smiled inside at his brother's silliness, but on the outside he lightly flicked him on the forehead and said, "Otouto-chan, you are still very young."

Itachi turned in his seat and faced the Hokage. "He has sustained multiple lacerations along his brachium and lower legs. Also bruising along his knees and a slight concussion from impacting the ground. For the level of danger he was involved in, Hatake-san efficiently minimized the probability of permanent damage." As always, Itachi's report was clinical and detached.

The Hokage was amused though at his compliment of Kakashi's skill. It wasn't often that Itachi offered praise for his fellow shinobi. He must have truly been frighten for his brother's life upon hearing the news of the incident.

Sasuke grimaced as he listened to his brother. The majority of the words his Aniki used were unfamiliar to him, thus he only understood the bare minimum. Basically, Sasuke was able to deduced that he wasn't looking so great.

"I wanted to let you know Uchiha-san that the Chunin who failed to complete his duties was apprehended and duly punished."

"May I know who was the one responsible?" Itachi asked.

The Hokage knew the young man was a pacifist but when it came to his brother, Itachi was capable of anything. "I'm sorry, but I will have to deny your request."

Itachi accepted it and turned to face his brother again. "What else did you want to discuss?"

"Clever as always Itachi-kun. I have your next mission for you."

A crestfallen expression settled on to Sasuke's face.

"Here is the basic summary of your mission and profile of your charge. For a more thorough debrief, come see me at the tower in an hour." He handed a thick folder to Itachi with a chakra seal on the front. It required the person to sift a little bit of their chakra into the seal. If the person has permission, the contents of scroll should be accessible. But if a unregistered ninja tried, the seal was to consume the file, turning to paper to ash before the enemy had time to glean any information.

"I hope you recover quickly Sasuke-kun." With a little wave, the Hokage disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind the distinct smell of tobacco.

Itachi opened the file and quickly scanned the info with his sharingan, committing it to memory. Sasuke tried to peak over his shoulder but before he had a chance to even read the date on the top of the page, Itachi snapped the folder shut and it self combusted.

He stood and opened the window, the ashes flying along the breeze to be lost among the coming season of spring.

"Aniki, how long will you be gone?" Sasuke's tone was somber.

His brother just returned from his first ANBU mission which took two whole weeks. He didn't want Aniki to leave so soon.

Itachi lightly pushed his brother to lay down and tucked the blanket in around his body. Then he resumed his previous seat and took out a scroll from his kunai pouch.

"No need to worry Otouto. I'm not leaving the village."

Sasuke visibly perked up. He settled against his pillow and closed his eyes, a content smile on his face.


End file.
